Duke of Cornouailles

See also: Cornouailles (homonymy)

The title of duke of Cornouailles ( Cornwall in English) was the first title of duke created in the Pairie of England. It is the last in England with being always associated with a real duchy, the Duché of Cornouailles. There is another duchy in England, the Duché of Lancaster, but there more was Duc of Lancaster since the title was attached to the crown in 1413.

The current duke is Charles, the Prince de Galles, the oldest son of the current monarch, the queen Elisabeth II.

History of the title

In its Historia regum Britanniae , Geoffroy de Monmouth reports that the first duke of Cornouailles was Corineus, Trojan exiled after the Trojan War. It seized the country and its name (Corinée) gave him, after the foundation of mythical the Royaume of the island of Brittany by Brutus.

According to the legend, Gorlois, duke of Cornouailles under the king Uther Pendragon, rebelled against the domination of its sovereign, when this one became obsessed by his wife, Ygraine. Uther killed Gorlois and married Ygraine. The fruit of their union was the future King Arthur.

Rules of transmission

The title of duke of Cornouailles always belongs to the oldest son of the sovereign. The title was created for Edouard, the black prince, the oldest son of Edouard III in 1336. When Edouard died before his father, the title was recreated for his/her son, the future Richard II.

By a charter of 1421, the title passes to the son and to the oldest heir to the sovereign. If the oldest son of the sovereign dies, his/her oldest son does not inherit the title. However, if the oldest son of the sovereign dies without legitimate descent, his/her oldest brother receives the title. These principles make that the title of duke only one son of the sovereign can carry also carrying the title of Prince de Galles (being thus heir apparent with the throne to England).

Characteristics of the duchy

In 1856, to sir George Harrison, Attorney General, argued successfully owing to the fact that the duchy profited from rights and prerogatives of a palatine county, that it was off-shore in England, and that the duke had rights on all the territory of Cornouailles equivalents to those of a king.

Towards 1969 - 71, the Kilbrandon commission recommended that the official sources referent to the county of Cornouailles as being itself a duchy and either a county. It is an official recognition of its particular constitutional position.

Following its marriage with prince de Galles, Camilla Parker Bowles employs the model “its highness royal, duchess of Cornouailles” rather than “princess of Wales”.

After its marriage with the prince of Wales, Camilla Parker-Bowles uses Its Highness Royal, the duchess of Cornouailles rather than princess of Wales .

The duchy of Cornouailles

Traditionally, the duke of Cornouailles is entitled to receive certain feudal rights. The current duke received his rights to the castle of Launceston in 1973. Those included a pair of white gloves, a couple of greyhounds, a cumin and pepper pound, a pair of gilded clamps, hundred shillings of money, an arc, a lance and firewood. The duke of Cornouailles also has right to the incomes of the grounds of the duchy to cover the cost of his public office. If there is no duke of Cornouailles, the incomes of the duchy go to the crown. The duchy includes/understands more than 570 km ² of grounds, half is in the Devon.

In 2003, the duchy brought back £9.943.000, a sum free from income tax, although the prince of Wales chose to voluntarily pay this tax.

The duke also has some rights on the territory of the county of Cornouailles. The High sheriff of Cornouailles is named by the duke, not by the monarch, contrary to the other counties of England and the Wales. The duke enters in possession of the goods of all those which die without heirs and will on the territory of Cornouailles, whereas apart from Cornouailles, these heritages go to the crown.

Heraldic

The weapons of the duke of Cornouailles are: of sand to fifteen besants of gold . A small shield carrying these weapons appears on the personal weapons of prince de Galles, under his principal blazon. This blazon is also used by the council of the county of Cornouailles.

List of the duke of Cornouailles

List carriers of the title, with indication in the way in which they received it and have it cédé.

See too

Sources

External bonds

  • the duchy of Cornouailles on the official Web site of the prince de Galles

  • Duchy Originals, the mark of products of organic farming of the duchy
  • an article of Guardian
  • Tyr Gwyr Gweryn, information on the duchy of Cornouailles

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